Ross council hears progress report on facilities master plan; paramedic and police buildings prioritized

The Ross Town Council on Thursday received a status update on implementing the town—acilities Master Plan and a proposed phasing plan that would prioritize a new paramedic facility and a new police station before larger administrative rebuilds.

Project manager David Kelly told the council that staff are pursuing a phased approach tied to the Ross Valley Paramedic Authority lease timeline, environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and funding availability. "One of our directions is to evaluate phasing of both the public safety elements of the master plan with a focus on delivery of the paramedic facility as well as the police station," Kelly said during the presentation.

The master plan, adopted by the council on June 15, 2023, identified replacement or major renovation of aging civic buildings, improved site circulation and parking, and the allocation of a portion of the 2.33-acre civic center parcel for nine affordable housing units. KPA Architects prepared three conceptual design options; staff said they would return with updated, architect-verified cost estimates and a more detailed phasing plan.

Kelly reviewed a Gantt-style timeline staff prepared that ties major deliverables to milestones. He said environmental scoping using the CEQA initial study checklist is underway and that staff will hire a consultant to prepare environmental documentation. "Our goal is to use that internal scoping to hire an environmental consultant, to prepare the environmental documentation for this project," Kelly said.

Town Manager Krista Johnson told the council the town—urrently expects to have nearly $12 million in the capital projects fund by the end of the fiscal year to apply to the civic center program. "By the end of the current fiscal year, we estimate we will have just a little bit less than 12,000,000 in the capital projects fund for this purpose," Johnson said.

Council members repeatedly emphasized public safety: several called the existing police facility inadequate and urged staff to accelerate replacement planning. Kelly and Chief Pata (present for portions of the tour and briefings) described a need to improve ingress/egress for emergency response and secure police parking. Kelly said the planned apparatus bay for the paramedic facility, as designed so far, supports one ambulance.

Kelly described outreach to potential partners for affordable housing on the civic site. He said staff drafted a request for qualifications to seek development partners for the northern portion of the site and held preliminary talks with Branson School leadership about a possible public-private partnership or ground lease for workforce housing tied to school staff.

The council pressed staff on financing and public support. Council member Salter urged the town to test voter support before spending significant funds on design or environmental review: "we should do some sort of feasibility study or have a poll done with a professional group to see if there's support for a two-thirds vote for a bond measure," Salter said. Staff replied that updating cost estimates and checking financing options would be a near-term next step.

Staff also reported site work already in progress: the town's public works director said surveys and base mapping for undergrounding utilities on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard are complete, with design expected in October and construction anticipated in 2026. Kelly said the town is evaluating delivery methods, including a progressive design-build model the county is reviewing for its own projects.

What happens next: staff said they will return to the council with updated cost estimates from architects, a refined Gantt schedule, the results of CEQA scoping and a recommendation for procurement/delivery method. Councilmembers asked for frequent updates and for staff to prioritize the paramedic lease milestones when establishing the schedule.